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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · racket · bore · rash · game · shower · rule · root

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rule — government
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — to tire
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rule — a law
  16. cue — for pool
  17. game — a match
  18. bore — to drill
  19. shower — rain
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com